NORTH AUGUSTA, SC: The Augusta Azaleas received a fitting sendoff in their debut weekend, as the home team clubbed a pair of huge home runs that highlighted a 9-1 victory over Myrtle Beach at SRP Park.
With a packed house looking on for the second consecutive night, pitcher Rayven Antonio set the tone in his 2025 SRP Park debut, firing five one-hit innings with just one unearned run allowed.
An RBI single from Cameron Sisneros after two errors in the 4th was the only blemish on the 19-year-old’s resume, and gave the Pelicans an all-too-fleeting lead.
The Pelicans’ gameplan was sent awry almost immediately when starter Yenrri Rojas was lifted due to injury after one inning, and it fully unraveled in the 4th. JP Wheat retired the first 7 men he saw out of the ‘pen, but walked Owen Carey, and then hung a slider to Nick Montgomery, who unloaded upon the spinner and picked up his 2nd homer of the week. RBIs from Colby Jones and Mac Guscette doubled the Azaleas’ run total, and gave the home side a 4-1 lead.
After both teams traded zeroes in the 5th, the Azaleas put the game out of reach with a 5-run 6th against Cole Reynolds. Singles from Montgomery and Eric Hartman and a walk from Jones loaded the bases and set the stage for Guscette with one out. Guscette met the moment, bringing the crowd to its feet with his first pro homer, a titanic grand slam to put the game out of reach. The Azaleas would tack on one more run in the inning, putting the result even further out of contention.
After Antonio’s splendid start, Augusta’s bullpen was equally as impressive, with veterans Seth Keller and Reibyn Corona combining for four scoreless innings to hustle the game to its conclusion.
The lopsided victory was a fitting conclusion to a two-day stint that featured back-to-back sellouts, and ended with fireworks and the auction of the vibrant Augusta jerseys to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta.
Tomorrow evening, the GreenJackets will be back to their traditional identity as they look for their first six-game series win of 2025.
Luis Arestigueta will take the ball at 5:05 p.m. in the last home game for 16 days, with the ‘Jackets headed on the road for trips to Delmarva and Kannapolis in the year’s longest stint away from home.
